Thursday, May 17, 2012

Rumplestiltskin: The Antihero

With the season finale of “Once Upon a Time,” I was stuck by the action of the character Mr. Gold (the pawnshop owner in the real world setting of Storybrook)/ Rumplestiltskin (from the fairytale world). Throughout the series, an evil curse blocked the townspeople’s memories of their previous lives in the fairytale world. Just as Emma Swan, the “Savior,” lifted the curse as was prophesized, Mr. Gold performed an act of magic that caused a new enchantment to spread over Storybrook—the environ now supported magic. Certainly, that alters the battlefield between good and evil, putting new weapons into their hands for future shows. Besides how his act alters the plot, I’m curious about the complexities of his character. 

Mr. Gold/Rumplestiltskin is my favorite character in the series and certainly an antihero. That type is generally considered to be a protagonist whose character is contrary to that of the archetypal hero, but retains many heroic qualities. 

Emma is clearly the heroine. She is attractive, brave, and determined. She is a good person and we are compelled to root for her. Unlike a hero or heroine, an antihero is generally selfish, corrupt, and oppressive. Mr. Gold is not a true villain like Regina, the Evil Queen, but he isn’t a hero either. Antiheroes usually fight or thwart the villains, but not for any reason of justice unless by happenstance to actualize their own desires. An antihero may steal, vandalize, and perform other "bad" acts, but may do so for a cause that is ultimately good. Mr. Gold has certainly fooled Regina several times to bring a result that benefits the side of the good. This was the case when Regina attempted to frame Mary Margaret/Snow White as a murderess. At the last moment, Mr. Gold makes the murder victim appear, alive and unharmed, ending Regina’s case. The same pattern held true when Emma ran for sheriff, her campaign almost undermined by Regina, until Mr. Gold enabled a situation that made the townspeople have tremendous respect for Emma and give her their votes.

Other examples of well known antiheroes in recent works include Severus Snape (one of my all-time favorite characters) and Captain Jack Sparrow.

I love the complex role of the antihero so much, I have included one my Enchanted Bookstore Legends. Tarom the Icewalker plays the part of the Dark Realm’s alchemist, but he often aligns with my heroine for reasons that are his own and not hers. He is very much an individual and values his independence, apart from both good and evil factions. This puts him at odds with his job, working for the Dark Realm. But even that has a selfish motive which will ultimately be exposed.

Antiheroes are extraordinary individuals with layers of complexity governing their actions. 

What antiheroes are your favorites? What character in “Once Upon a Time” intrigues you the most?

~ ~ ~
Marsha A. Moore is a writer of fantasy romance. The magic of art and nature spark life into her writing. The first of her epic fantasy romance series, ENCHANTED BOOKSTORE LEGENDS, is now available--SEEKING A SCRIBE. She has also authored the Ciel's Legacy series, fantasy romance with fast action mermaid/pirate storylines: TEARS ON A TRANQUIL LAKE and TORTUGA TREASURE.  For a FREE ebook download, read her historic fantasy, LE CIRQUE DE MAGIE, available at Amazon and Smashwords.

15 comments:

Erin said...

I think Mr. Gold/Rumpelstiltskin is a great character. I also love Mary Margaret/Snow White. I would have to say she is my favorite character on the show. Otherwise, Severus Snape is my favorite antihero. Great post! :)

Marsha A. Moore said...

I love the way JK Rowling made Snape so mysterious, with twists and turns throughout the entire series. Thanks for stopping in, Erin!

Nicole Zoltack said...

I love this show! Charming's my favorite character. My favorite antihero of all time is Snape.

Marsha A. Moore said...

Charming is definitely interesting because he seemed to respond differently or be in turmoil in the real world setting, while others didn't. The whole cast is fascinating! Thanks for visiting, Nicole!

Rina Heisel said...

Oh, I love this show! It's inspired me to look up a few of those old fairy tales. :) I wonder if Han Solo would be considered an antihero in Star Wars, but by the time Return of Jedi rolled around he was a bonafide hero, since he was no longer just in it for the payday. Very fun post, will share!

Marsha A. Moore said...

Han Solo certainly was a loner and very independent. I agree, his role did change when he became more altruistic toward the end. Thanks for commenting, Rina!

Beth Caudill said...

I love Mr. Gold/Rumple, he is my favorite character on the show. You never know which side of his personality will be there this week. Good or evil.

Plus I'm a huge Beauty and the Beast fan. I'd love for him to have a happy ending. But we'll have to see.

Emma is really one of my least favorite characters. They need to do some work on her to bring her upto the quality of Regina and Mr. Gold.

Marsha A. Moore said...

Hi Beth! I agree that Emma has been a wishy-washy. I'm hoping that's because it was necessary that she not believe in the fairytale in order to have time to reveal all the backstory for the cast. Now that she has a clear purpose and is empowered, her character definitely needs to become more dynamic.

KatFrench said...

I think Rumplestilskin/Gold is definitely the strongest character on the show (although Regina is deliciously vicious). I was really disappointed in their handling of Maleficent, who was my favorite Disney villain forever.

As far as favorite anti-heroes, I'd say Robert Downey, Jr.'s current incarnations of both Sherlock Holmes and Iron Man are great. And Sawyer on LOST, although like Han Solo, he mellowed to pretty much straight up hero by the end.

Marsha A. Moore said...

Hi Kat! Sawyer from Lost definitely started as an antihero. After a while, he began to vie with Jack to be the hero, morphing from his original loner role.

Cherry said...

One of the regrets I have for living in the other side of the pond is that US movies is not readily accessible to me... I am still waiting for Once Upon a Time to become available in DVD in the UK :( But I do like antiheroes, maybe because I am just a contrary person? :)

Marsha A. Moore said...

That would be hard, hearing talk about a great show and having to wait. I hope it is available soon for you, Cherry! Glad to have you stop in.

Ahmed said...

My favorite antiheroes other than Rumplestiltskin of course would have to be Dexter from the TV show Dexter, and Jaime Lannister from A Song of Ice and Fire book series.. As well as Golum from Lord of the Rings too. The complexity of these characters is so real, and inspiring.. Cause is real life there is no one who is pure good or pure evil; personalities always have a bit of both. What makes one appear good or evil is the balance between those 2 factions, and the choices a person makes with both good and evil thoughts going through his mind in different situations. There is no black and white, there are shades of grey.

Marsha A. Moore said...

I forgot about Golum--a great example! I agree that the gray in-betweens do make these characters seem much more real. Thanks for your thoughts, Ahmed.

Ahmed said...

You're welcome :) thank you for your cool post! Sorry about the typo in my previous comment btw, it's "cause in* real life" not "cause is" heh

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